June 19’s morning rush hour could be a challenge

That’s because truck drivers are organizing a convoy to the Capitol that morning to bring their concerns about high fuel expenses, tolls, taxes and other costs of doing business directly to Gov. David Paterson.

Plans for the convoy were outlined this weekend in Land Line, which describes itself as a business magazine for professional truckers.

Vincent Gramuglia, who owns Betty Beaver’s Fuel Stops in the area and participated in a rally May 22 at the Wilton Travel Plaza, is offering to pay the tolls of truckers from his truck stop in Fultonville to Albany. Staging for the convoy will take place from 7:30 to 9 a.m. June 19, with trucks proceeding to downtown Albany. Gramuglia is meeting today with Capitol Police to plan the event.

13 Responses

Everyone needs to support this. I’ve heard recent estimates that these guys are running about $1.65 per mile and up to deliver food and other necessities to the market. This has driven many independent truckers into bankruptcy, and we are just beginning to see the overall affect. New York State’s fuel cost is among the highest in the country. And, now that Diesel has exceeded the $5.00 per gallon mark in Albany, just how much more are they, and we, supposed to bear. My guess is that the majority of members of the legislature are not feeling the pain of buying fuel. Their expense accounts cover that.

Its time New York smartens up, people are tired of paying the highest taxes for what, I don’t see any of the people who should be looking out for us worring about putting gas in their cars or food on the table to feed the family. All they seem to be worried about is not lowering taxes so they can afford their $1000 dollar suits. Instead of stopping all the bikers going to Americade so that Lake George can have it’s best week all year why not start by stopping all the cars with people talking on cell phones that cause a lot of the accidents, It’s usually the car that cuts off the bike!

I understand that truckers would prefer to improve their profit margins by avoiding the additional cost of tolls, but I am in favor of requiring that heavy trucks use the Thruway rather than local highways. All kinds of trucks, including tractor trailers, use Rt 29, which goes past my home, at all hours of the day and night. Every night I am startled out of sleep by trucks zipping past my apartment at such speed that it sounds like a sonic boom. Either that or they are bottoming out on the uneven pavement right before the intersection:-) My quiet enjoyment of my home would be much improved were heavy trucks no longer permitted to use Rt 29, especially at night. Those in the know will have to determine how practical my desire might be.

All that said, the real issue is much more fundamental. People just don’t want to look at it. Society is undergoing a radical transformation, and it is not going to end any time soon. The cost of everything is going up, and the pain we are just beginning to experience represents the cost of desperately trying to maintain “business as usual” when it no longer is efficient or practical. This is because the petroleum industry — and all other industry that derives from it, which is quite a lot, encompassing not just transportation but everything from clothing to packaging to surgical equipment — is going down the tubes. It is a dying thing. Instead of devoting our lifeblood to keeping it alive, why not turn our energies and our minds to the creation of something sustainable? All the tools are already in the toolbox.

Change is scary, and even painful when we have built our lives around something that no longer works, but it is a constant, and we do ourselves a disservice by ignoring the need for it. In the end, it is much less painful to embrace change than to resist it. The sooner we let go of the status quo and allow beneficial change into our lives the more quickly we will have a society and a lifestyle that are sustainable and enjoyable. A better night’s sleep is just one of the benefits we will reap.

Why in God’s name would you let the Capital Police or any state agency know you were planning a convoy to the Capital?

It would seem the massive tieup that would ensue could easily shut the whole city of Albany right down, if you could get, say 300 eighteen wheelers stuffed into downtown! I’d pay to see it to help defray the tolls and diesel costs.

Does anyone else out there think it is a bit silly to protest high fuel prices by wasting fuel with convoy’s to protest those high fuel prices. Why don’t the independent truckers pass the high fuel costs on to whoever it is they do deliveries for?

Seems to be they should be going to state looking for some member line items to do research on how to build a truck that is more fuel efficient.

While I empathize with the small truckers, just like the small farmers, the big government money goes to the big corporations. It isn’t like the taxes go up as the cost of fuel goes up. In fact the taxes become a smaller percentage of the total cost. The state is hurting and these big trucks don’t even come close to paying for the damage they do to the highways.

If we really want to be efficient, the government should take over the railroad tracks and right of way. Then charge the railroads a tax to keep them up as we do trucks. This would make railways more economical and give them the same subsidy we give the trucking industry. We should encourage shipment other than with trucks, not increasing their subsidy.

We all should let our politicians know that this country is not ready for gas being this high
huge chain reaction will follow driving almost everything up
Time to say ,we have to do something about it otherwise we will start choking ourselves up

It’s a great idea! Maybe someone will listen.
Our politicians need to start paying for their own insurance, registration and tolls. They make enough money! Let them foot the bill like the working taxpayer has to. We’d save alot there which in turn could cut the taxes on the working people, gas costs etc.
Let the Attorney General Cuomo hit them in the pockets! It’s about time someone is shaking up the system.

I support the independent truckers rally. I fear that this is just a small sample of larger horrors to come. Wait until the cold weather comes back and we see the ’08-’09 heating season bills. It won’t be pretty. Regular gasoline at the corner of Albany Shaker and Route 7 was $4.15 a gallon this afternoon (6/2/08). By July 4th I’ll bet gasoline will be over $5 a gallon. This is just the beginning of the end of this great nation!

The architects of the World Trade Organization and other anti-capitalistic forces (mostly socialists) want to see the United States fall onto its collective knees and become another third world nation dependant on world generosity at the cost of our personal liberties. If you don’t believe it… get “thine hind quarters” to the nearest gas pump and tell me it isn’t so. For one of the first times since it was created, gasoline is more expensive than milk. Now watch how expensive things get.

Now… this is coming from a devout tree hugger… ME… We need to jump start our nuclear energy program ASAP, RIGHT NOW! We need refineries built RIGHT NOW! We need to drill for oil and natural gas in those environmentally “sacred cow” areas as cleanly and efficiently as humanly possible RIGHT STINKIN’ NOW! If we don’t do this now we will indenture our children, grand children, and great grand children to the forces of oil empires who don’t really like us or want us around and could care less that our children live or die.

While we supplement our nations own oil and natural gas supplies with our own product we must mandate our political representatives to IMMEDIATELY invest in alternate energy research. Hydrogen, Fission, Solar, Wind and Geo Thermal. This must also be done RIGHT NOW! We can not let the dreams of companies like Plug Power fall by the wayside again and again. These companies must be supported and nurtured so results can be realized or we will fail as a nation.

What the heck does all this have to do with support for an independent truckers protest of high diesel fuel at the Capitol steps in Albany you ask? Baby steps my dear friends… Baby steps…A seed must be planted somewhere! The more seeds planted produces many trees, and in time a whole forest. A whole forest of people finally on the same energy page. And just maybe, an answer to this looming energy catastrophe that will bring this nation down to its knees.

in response to courtney erickson,the reason why those trucks are going by your house at all hours of the night is so people like you and I can enjoy the food and products that those trucks are carrying.I’m sure you knew when you decided to live on state highway 29 ( truck route )trucks would be rolling all hours of the night. some gratitude would be nice toward those drivers

Lots of good posts in here. Everyone who works in albany should attend this protest, it’s not just for “removing the tax” but for “sound energy policy needed”. The AM Radio dial is promoting this on 590 and 1300. The general trend of the posts above is dismay with politicians and our government. We pay our taxes for the Local, State and Federal government to provide public services. The State and Federal government are not responding to our request for protection of the basic elements of fiscal well-being for the average person. Look at what they are doing to the poor legal drug addicted smokers. Whats next, Coffeinated beverage tax? While our middle class earning power and standard of living are being driven down and “food stamps are for everyday people” ads run on television, the hillary-obama-kennedy assasination debate keeps news media busy. Now its switching to the “si she out yet” topic. A few years from now, if not sooner, we will probably find out that sinister forces were at work here to manipulate the energy costs up. What is hillarys stance on the state’s energy policy? What really burns me up is the lack of a long term energy policy in NYS. I just recently heard about a “Draft” energy plan scope that NYSERDA has available for comment until July 8th. Being a scientist, I looked at it and felt sick. It is a plan to spend money preparing “briefs” on the issues. There is not even a mention of an economic projection of energy costs. It is such a fluffy softball to justify special interest spending. Good lord, spend a few minutes to look the thing over. There is no mention of evaluating nuclear, wind, solar and hydroelectric energy? It focuses on investigating the negatives of existing fossil fuels and not on the potential future and planned solutions. It leaves the “identify the need for further research” door open to get out of the hard work needed. Please comment on it! The Draft 2009 New york state energy plan is supposed to be available on NYSERDA’s web site.

Welcome to the New York State Energy Plan. This website has been created to facilitate communications between the public and the Energy Planning Board and the Energy Coordinating Working Group (ECWG), comprising the agencies tasked to complete the Plan.
The ECWG is currently seeking comments on the Draft Scope of the Energy Plan. The Draft Scope is being sent with this notice. The ECWG will accept comments on the Draft Scope until July 8, 2008. The website provides several options for the public to submit comments.
Please access the website at http://www.nysenergyplan.gov and “Submit a Comment” to provide your input to your State’s energy plan.